[allykahn]

After having a FOWLR for three years, I want to try a few corals. I know that I should have soft corals, but which type? My lighting when completed will be:

2 - 72" VHO URI Actinic white & Actinic 03
2- 36" NO URI actinics (for dawn/dusk transition)

Is there anything else that I would need (additives, etc)?

Thanks

[Elmo18]

Great starter corals are Button Polyps, Toadstool Leather (Sarcophyton), Green Open Brain coral, the assortment of mushroom corallimorpheans, Green Star Polyps, Zoanthid Polyps, and other leather corals, such as the Finger Leathers, sinularias.

All the above do not need very high lighting (i.e Metal Halide lighting) and will do well in PC or VHO setup.

- Elmo

[Elmo18]

I would advise against a Goniopora (Flower Pot coral) as a starter coral. Just giving a heads up because about 1.5 years ago I stopped at PetCo and saw the beautiful coral and bought it without having any information about it. It was definitely a dumb move.

- Elmo

[Mikeman]

i would reccomend against the toadstool as your first coral, they seem to be finicky, dont get me wrong, a good beginner coral, but not a first coral

[allykahn]

Thanks for the replies. I have seen quite a few books on corals. Which ones are must haves?

[Kate]

Hi, I have a low light tank, with corals, and I was searching for a nice book online, because my friend had given me a gift certificate for Amazon, and I ordered a book through them, called Aquarium Corals, Selection, Husbandry, and Natural History, by Eric H. Borneman, and it is a really nice book. It 's the only one I have so far,

[bongobrian]

I agree with mikeman, stay away from leathers at first... they are prone to infection and can be picky about placement and water flow. You need to first learn the basics about water chemistry and trace elements if you don't already know. Lighting is important, don't get me wrong, but you should be more concerned with what your water quality is like right now. Since it is a F/O tank, you could have high levels of nitrate which could be absolutely deadly to corals. You'll need to be able to keep nutrients out of the water. Keeping trace elements at the appropriate levels will allow the corals to flourish. If one of these aspects are off, then you can run into problems.

good beginner corals (from easiest to a little less-easy)

-button polyps (great choice)
-star polyps (great choice)
-mushrooms (great choice)
-xenia (great choice)
-leathers
-cabbage
-caulastrea
-bubble coral

before buying a coral, do some research on it and ask your lfs about the needs of the coral.

[Elmo18]

I have seen quite a few books on corals. Which ones are must haves?

Allykahn, a great book is "Corals: A Quick Reference Guide" by Julian Sprung. It has great color pictures of most coral species, if not all. It gives information as to what lighting requirements are required, what foods, placement within an aquarium, and others.

Great book, and useful for those pesky 'please ID this coral' sort of question

- Elmo